Crates On New Vehicle Expressways Yield Outrageous Riches But Exhaust Less Toxic Smog

[Andrew350]

[+] Spoiler

Hi all...I thought I'd try something a little different by teasing this on Reddit first to gauge peoples' reactions and see if there was any interest or big changes that needed to be made before I posted this, but of course Reddit thinks I'm a spammer and won't let me post anything until it gets approved by mods....who apparently don't check messages. After two tries and waiting a few days I gave up on Reddit, so I guess I'll just stick to what works and throw this out here as-is No idea if this concept is interesting to anybody or if the design choices I made make sense, but I'm beginning to get bored after the hassle of just trying to get a teaser pic out there, and want to continue on other projects for a minute. Anyway, if you're a crotchety old man and just want to skip to the business end of what this is about, or just want to see the pretty picture, click here and/or scroll to the end of this post for the files. Otherwise think up your best cheesy salesman voice and play along

Ahem, anyway...back to the regularly scheduled programming...

Crates On New Vehicle Expressways Yield Outrageous Riches But Exhaust Less Toxic Smog


Greetings transportation moguls, and welcome to the presentation!

> Have you been looking for a NEW transportation solution to get rid of those archaic, outdated, polluting vehicles?

> Tired of paying your drivers just to deliver loads across town?

> Do you want to be rich?*

Well then I have the solution for you!

Introducing the all-new short-distance long-term low-cost high-profit hyphen-less transportation system: Crates!

> Now hold on a second, there's nothing special about using crates for transporting goods, we use them all the time already!

Ah, but these aren't just any crates, you see. We've devloloped an innovative new quantum packing technology that allows unprecedented material compression to achieve unbelievable per-unit capacity! We've got crates, cubes, boxes, squares; everything you could ever imagine and MORE!** It took millions of hours of research, prototyping, and testing to provide a product so complicated even top scientists still say it's impossible!

> How does it work?

What a great looking question! It's very simple: we put more stuff, in less boxes

Now, I'm sure you're wondering: just how does putting things in boxes make my company more efficient? How does that get rid of those costly drivers and their profit wasting salaries? I still need vehicles to carry those crates!

NOT ANYMORE!

Introducing the greatest innovation in transportation infrastructure since the wagon trail: an automated package delivery transport system! Utilizing a rubber track riding on rolling wheels, this system is capable of delivering hundreds of tons of cargo in a way never-before possible, without the need for any vehicles!

> Um, isn't that just a conveyo...

NO! This entirely new delivery system is unmatched by its predecessors in nearly every way! Featuring fully autonomous pathfinding, the package delivery AI automatically routes your cargo down the correct path no matter how complicated your network is; no human intervention required! Not even loading and unloading of the cargo requires workers, all of the materials are packaged automatically by robots; the only way to obtain such high quantities in our proprietary crates!

Our automated infrastructure comes in three varieties to cater to all types of cargo transport. Whether it is low-priority bulk shipments or speedy express cargo, we have a speed tier to suit your needs:

• Slow - 20mph Blue
  This tier is suitable for ores and other bulk cargoes which don't necessitate speedy travel. Costs are relatively low compared to the other options, which allows for entry-level setup or maximizing your operating profit for certain routes.
• Fast - 40mph Yellow
  A great "middle ground" solution for those wanting to upgrade their slow networks but don't have the cash to spend on the lightning tier.
• Lightning - 80mph Red
  The ultimate crate-delivering speed-demon, the lightning tier blazes away at lightning speed! The incredible stresses and wear on these machines means a truly heavy price tag to keep it running smoothly, but with the right kind of high-paying cargo, it can make amazing profits become reality!

As mentioned earlier, all the sorting of crates is handled automagically by our sophisticated routing AI. Even in the most complicated setup with multiple interconnected lines, your crates will always find their destination thanks to our Smart Roller™ technology. At every intersection our Smart Rollers take the routing information provided from the AI controller and automatically divert the crates down their correct path, no guide rails or messy fly-overs to deal with! This method ensures a clean, safe delivery of your crates every time, on time!

Just be careful! Our delivery system is most efficient on small routes with high frequency deliveries. These are very sophisticated and complicated machines, and keeping them operating smoothly can be expensive. In fact, ALL of the operational cost is carried by the infrastructure itself, and costs grow increasingly cumbersome on longer routes! Be sure to optimize your routes for maximum throughput and utilizing the type of crates that work best for your needs (and your pocketbook!).

> Ok, tell me more about these crates

Our crates come in two varieties to handle all types of cargo: standard and liquid. Using materials of varying strengths and electromagnetic properties to balance performance and costs, we've managed to create 3 distinct tiers of each type of crates for all your transport needs***. All of our crates are designed to operate flawlessly on all 3 tiers of our proprietary transportation system, ensuring seamless, hassle-free use no matter how you use your network.

Standard Crates:

• Wooden Box
  A deceptively simple name that ensures total confusion for your competitors! Due to inferior materials, much bracing and structural reinforcement is needed inside, which reduces overall capacity. The result, however, is a useful entry-level budget container for hauling small amounts of anything!***
• Steel Crate
  A much improved and strengthened version of the wooden box, this steel crate can utilize the entire volume inside to store your cargo, maximizing the efficiency and throughput possible using conventional materials.
• Quantum Cube
  Using the latest in future nano-alloy technology for the shell and our patented M.A.G.I.C. cargo compression algorithm, the Quantum Cube is the definitive King of Boxes™. Rest assured, whatever kind of matter you need transporting, the Quantum Cube can degenerate the most of it!

Liquid Crates:

• Plastic Jug
  Once again, stealth in naming is the key! Your competition will laugh at the thought of you transporting your bulk liquids in mere plastic jugs! But it is you who will be laughing, laughing all the way to the bank while their children eat cardboard after you put them out of business! Ha!
• Steel Tank
  As great as recycled plastic dug up from the ocean bottom is, it just doesn't have the structural integrity of steel! Make sure your oil doesn't spill on the wildlife by using Steel Tanks! (also carries other liquids)
• Quantum Container
  Those pesky liquids, they just never want to compress! We've solved that issue by allowing the atoms to occupy all the states of matter at once! Naturally, compressing your cargo down to the density of a neutron star may have some slight effects on nearby matter, so this Quantum Container uses magnets to contain the extreme gravitational field and prevent the formation of accidental black holes. How does it work? Nobody knows! (Except us. But we're not telling)

Our crates also come with some other unique features not seen with other transport solutions. Yes, these crates do cost a lot of money up front, but they also have zero running cost. That's right, build as many crates as you want and it will cost you 0 of your currency to keep them going every year! As stated earlier, all of the operating costs are in the infrastructure, so making short deliveries with high density traffic is key to making a profitable route, something our crates excel at!

[+] Spoiler

Note 1: This cost structure means this set only works as intended if you have maintenance costs on. Turning that setting off means everything is free to operate, which is basically a cheat. Don't be a cheater!
I'm kidding, play however you like. Just don't complain that it's too easy because you don't like maintenance costs, it's supposed to be fun but challenging

[+] Spoiler

Note 2: This cost system may cause issues in multiplayer if you're playing with some unscrupulous fellows who don't respect your profits. As these are coded as a roadtype, technically anyone is free to build their own crates and run them on your infrastructure, making you pay for their profits! Just keep this in mind if this ever finds its way into your game on a server.

[+] Spoiler

Ha! Made you click

Another experimental feature being tested on this fresh batch of crates is our patented "ghosting" effect. Using high tech sensors and mapping technology, we are constantly scanning the surrounding environment and, using an ultra-thin film of micro-LEDs on the exterior of the crates, we project a translucent image of what's on the opposite side to produce a see-through effect when our crates are empty. Common folk often refer to this as an "invisibility cloak", but that's just science fiction mumbo-jumbo. No sir, what we have here is a down-to-earth productivity tool, designed to let you know at a glance which of the crates in your network are running with an empty or sub-optimal load (<50%) so you can quickly diagnose issues and get back to counting your money!

[+] Spoiler

Note: this is just a test to try something new, if people don't like it then it may go away

Frequently Asked Questions

> There's no pictures. I want pictures!

That is not a question. Please return to the children's area and remain seated until you have calmed down enough to continue reading. Thank you

> Is there a passenger crate?

Unfortunately due to ongoing lawsuits for bodily injury, sexual harassment, and...other issues...which arose from highly compressing our human subjects during testing, we will not be providing options for passenger transport at this time.

> Are all other cargoes supported?

Yes, our crates are capable of carrying cargo from all types of industries. However, due to our high definition label maker being broken, we are currently unable to provide stickers on the outside of our crates to show the cargo they are carrying. We apologize for the inconvenience, and plan to rectify this in the future****.

> Is there a demo somewhere where I can see this system in action without installing it?

Certainly! Check this page, which also gives some more background information on the design decisions: >>LINK<<

> Using crates for liquids is stupid. You should use barrels like everyone else.

We value your opinion. In order to provide a better experience to our customers, we kindly ask that you stop having one. Thank you

> SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

Good news, everyone! It's completely free! Simply download the conveniently packed .tar archive below which has everything you need already inside, and start using it! Easy as that

> What if I have a problem?

Should any issues arise which are not mentioned above or on the website, please report them to us by replying to this message below. We also accept compliments, criticism, suggestions, and sacks of money as gifts. And thank you for your feedback

conveyor_belts.tar

(182.5 KiB) Downloaded 614 times

conveyor_belts_source_1.0.0.zip

(413.9 KiB) Downloaded 542 times

*We are not responsible for any financial losses due to the use of our product
**Your imagination may vary
***Due to some litigious test subjects, passenger support has been cancelled
****Ongoing developments are subject to public reaction and developer's interest
*****We are not liable for any injuries caused by straining your eyes to read this fine print. Read at your own risk

[andythenorth]

You may have won 2020.

[arikover]

Hahaha! The concept is really cool, and the manual/advertisement is hilarious!

I have tried it a bit, and have some suggestions:

• loading stages while in station (just to see if there is cargo in the crate or not). When leaving station, the crate could be closed, but with a small sticker indicating if it is light (green) or heavy (red). Empty crates could have a white sticker (or no sticker at all)
• as a new "vehicle", how about pallets? Cargo could be represented as... well... smaller crates I guess. Liquid cargo as small barrels. Minerals as coloured blocks (let's just say they are wrapped in quantum plastic)

Just my 2 cents on this.

Really good idea, I am pretty sure this will end up being used in multiplayer games.

Thank you for all your work on this and the rest (bridges, Wasteland etc)!

[kamnet]

This is fabulous! Thank you for creating it.

[LaChupacabra]

Purr + Brix + Nuts + ... that's what was missing. But not only for this configuration.
Yes, that's a great idea. I also see that you have used some interesting, unprecedented technologies.

About crates:
- It would be great if the compression technology M.A.G.I.C. or some other one let you pack a bit more. Maybe then there would be room for somethink like Carbon Monocoque? Anyway too many types of crates will not necessarily be good. I really like the simplicity of this addon.
- Maybe not everything should be available at once. Some technological progress over time would be good.
- Using these crates and containers could cost something. Especially the technologically advanced ones. These plastic ones sometimes break somewhere, after all, quantum ones require periodic calibration, and everyone knows that these are not cheap services. You could add some setting regarding these costs, also because of the multiplayer game.
- It would be nice if the color of the boxes depends on the type of cargo. Not all of them need to be assigned a separate color, but there could be at least a distinction between bulk cargo, goods and other. One could observe the flow of these cargoes.

About roads:
- It would be best if it could be divided into private and public roads...
- Dedicated graphics of depots and stops would be a nice complement for this addition.
- There is a problem with pavement graphics when the conveyor belt passes a larger city. With the default roads and most others, this does not look good. However, it is much better with U&Ratt roads, but only in earlier versions (2), where the pavement itself is displayed, without the road. The effect is slightly spoiled by the curb fragments, but it still looks really interesting, though - a bit like a transmission belt ran through the terrain of some factory. Maybe you should add dedicated pavement graphics? Those from ARRS / Ratt and BRIX also blend in well.

[+] Spoiler

Conveyor Belts - pavement2.png (81.05 KiB) Viewed 16506 times

- This is how one-way roads might look, as long as it is possible to add separate graphics for this "signs" on slopes.

[+] Spoiler

Conveyor Belts - oneway.png (33.11 KiB) Viewed 16506 times

General about:
- Belt maintenance costs are not correctly assigned in the costs window
-The cost balance makes that quite quickly other than the most capacious crates and the fastest conveyors lose their importance. I think that if the rate for transport regardless of speed was the same or even slightly higher for slower, using slower conveyors would still make sense on less loaded routes. Then using faster routes would mainly involve increasing their capacity, which would also affect revenues, but not in such a straightforward way. I just don't know if the cargo aging parameter may depend on the route the vehicle is traveling on, and this would probably be crucial. The higher cost of maintaining more roomy crates, but only during loading (let's say it's a costs of magic) would make the use of smaller, less advanced crates still make sense.

Thanks Andrew

[Emperor Jake]

Hey, very nice idea! OpenTTD is becoming more like Factorio so this would work well with an appropriately complex industry set

Since making all three belts, I've also started to reconsider including the middle speed belt at all, mostly because it is the ugliest one to watch due to the palette cycle, but also because of it's dubious gameplay usefulness. But, I spent a lot of time making that one work visually so I've left it in for now!

IMO the yellow belt is the best looking one, it would be worth the effort to apply that effect to the others.

[jrook1445]

This is really creative! (understatement)

I will definitely try this in my next game; will be a nice change (at least visually) from setting up short road vehicle/tram networks to distribute town cargos.

[Andrew350]

Thanks everyone for your response, it's good to see there's some positive reception so far I'm liking many of the ideas you're putting forth, really got me thinking! Sorry this is going to be a wall of replies at once!

loading stages while in station (just to see if there is cargo in the crate or not). When leaving station, the crate could be closed, but with a small sticker indicating if it is light (green) or heavy (red). Empty crates could have a white sticker (or no sticker at all)

You mean like have the top of the crate off while loading to see the cargo inside? It's possible, I'll have to play with it to see if it's worth doing. Empty crates currently have the transparency effect, is that just a bad idea, or maybe not clear enough? (honest question)

as a new "vehicle", how about pallets? Cargo could be represented as... well... smaller crates I guess. Liquid cargo as small barrels. Minerals as coloured blocks (let's just say they are wrapped in quantum plastic)

Interesting idea. It might be somewhat difficult to show much detail at less than 4x zoom though, as crates are already quite small. But worth some investigating, thanks

It would be great if the compression technology M.A.G.I.C. or some other one let you pack a bit more. Maybe then there would be room for somethink like Carbon Monocoque? Anyway too many types of crates will not necessarily be good. I really like the simplicity of this addon.

Capacities are tricky. Too little and crates are useless, too much and they're overpowered. As you say simplicity is nice, which is why I stuck with the rule of threes here, but of course that's open for change. Higher capacities may be possible, but one thing I've noticed is that already the quantum crate is starting to get a bit sluggish on acceleration due to it's high capacity (it weighs 45 tons fully loaded!), if I bump up capacities in any significant way the crates may be underpowered and thus take too long to get up to speed.

Maybe not everything should be available at once. Some technological progress over time would be good.

Yes, I though about that, but couldn't decide what would be acceptable introductions for such a silly idea I may just do parameters and allow you to pick when each tech level appears, that might be easiest.

Using these crates and containers could cost something. Especially the technologically advanced ones. These plastic ones sometimes break somewhere, after all, quantum ones require periodic calibration, and everyone knows that these are not cheap services. You could add some setting regarding these costs, also because of the multiplayer game.

Well, after thinking about it a bit, I think adding a parameter to switch between cost models might be useful here. Since it can't be done automatically, allowing the user to pick between current (default) behavior and a more standard cost model (vehicles have running cost instead of infrastructure) would allow for more multiplayer-friendly setups and also games where you don't want maintenance costs. It will be tricky making a good balance for both, but should be possible

It would be nice if the color of the boxes depends on the type of cargo. Not all of them need to be assigned a separate color, but there could be at least a distinction between bulk cargo, goods and other. One could observe the flow of these cargoes.

As I briefly mentioned, I do plan on having labels on the crates showing their cargo once I make 4x zoom sprites. Admittedly that won't work for 1x sprites, but adding color in an obvious way that doesn't interfere with company colors might be challenging. I'll look into this though

It would be best if it could be divided into private and public roads...

Yeah, unfortunately roads are always "public". Would possibly be an interesting NRT feature if roads could be marked as private as long as the company that built them is still around, though I'm not sure what usefulness that might have outside of this specific case

Dedicated graphics of depots and stops would be a nice complement for this addition.

Yes indeed! I've been drooling over spnda's NewGRF Road Stops feature for quite some time, and thinking how perfect it would be for this set. I'd like to test out the feature, but alas my main harddrive (an 8 month old ssd!) quit on me last week, so I have to wait for a replacement so I can reinstall everything and see if I can workout how to build it and try it out!

There is a problem with pavement graphics when the conveyor belt passes a larger city.

Yes I noticed this. I haven't quite decided how to go about fixing it, but indeed some kind of walkway or path alongside is probably the best solution. I thought about removing the roads underneath completely (so it would just be grass), but there's no way to do so without replacing the base set sprites, and I'd like to avoid that.

- This is how one-way roads might look, as long as it is possible to add separate graphics for this "signs" on slopes.

I really like that idea Unfortunately it won't work, since the one-way graphics are only one sprite and simply get overlaid on top of any roadway I'm not sure there's any good solution to this sadly.

Belt maintenance costs are not correctly assigned in the costs window

Hmm, what do you mean here? (perhaps a screenshot?)

The cost balance makes that quite quickly other than the most capacious crates and the fastest conveyors lose their importance. I think that if the rate for transport regardless of speed was the same or even slightly higher for slower, using slower conveyors would still make sense on less loaded routes. Then using faster routes would mainly involve increasing their capacity, which would also affect revenues, but not in such a straightforward way. I just don't know if the cargo aging parameter may depend on the route the vehicle is traveling on, and this would probably be crucial. The higher cost of maintaining more roomy crates, but only during loading (let's say it's a costs of magic) would make the use of smaller, less advanced crates still make sense.

I quite like the idea of abusing cargo aging to give slower belts an advantage somehow. Not sure how I can make that work in practice but it's something to start with Balancing these things is going to be tricky so I appreciate the feedback here especially. Thank you

IMO the yellow belt is the best looking one, it would be worth the effort to apply that effect to the others.

Referring to the texturing I'm assuming? I definitely agree, though that one still needs a little touchup too How about the animation cycle itself? The more "jerky" movement than the other two is not too off-putting? (I'm curious how anyone feels about this)

Again thanks everyone for your feedback!

[STD]

A very interesting implementation of the conveyor's system in the game. I didn't expect to see this . Great job, Andrew 350. This is something that is very necessary for various types of production in OpenTTD. I will try this new set in the game .

Regards, STD (Aleksey).

[LaChupacabra]

Capacities are tricky. Too little and crates are useless, too much and they're overpowered. As you say simplicity is nice, which is why I stuck with the rule of threes here, but of course that's open for change. Higher capacities may be possible, but one thing I've noticed is that already the quantum crate is starting to get a bit sluggish on acceleration due to it's high capacity (it weighs 45 tons fully loaded!), if I bump up capacities in any significant way the crates may be underpowered and thus take too long to get up to speed.

So give more power, more torque, just more of everything. I don't know what the limit is, but I've seen vehicles with more than 16 000 hp. But seriously, I tested these conveyor belts a little and these larger capacities are not so much needed. Ok, they are, but only with very large productions above 7,000. Therefore, I think that if you add such crates, maybe they should be a more specialist product that would not be widely used, therefore their price should be much higher (10t - x1, 20t - x2, 40t - x4, 80t - x16) - very large productions are not achieved quickly, and when it happens, the company's account is already very large resources, and what is knowed, one of the basic principles of economics says that a product is worth as much as the customer is able to pay for it.

Maybe not everything should be available at once. Some technological progress over time would be good.

Yes, I though about that, but couldn't decide what would be acceptable introductions for such a silly idea I may just do parameters and allow you to pick when each tech level appears, that might be easiest.

Hmm... I would be in favor of adding such extended settings for speeds parameters of Ratt roads. There it would be useful, but here such accuracy is unlikely to be needed. You could add a more general setting with an equally "silly" question.

What do you know about crates?:
A. It's an aliens work! - they are always available
B. It's must be some secret government project! - they are available earlier than it would appear from the technology used and historical facts (1800? 1850?, 1950?)
C. Are they made of wood? - they are available in the years in which they actually or could be introduced (1892, 1920? 2030?)

In my opinion, such a thing is enough and will not complicate the choice too much. By the way, this last setting could also take into account major changes in the graphics of the conveyors themselves by matching the set to the games closer to reality, but ... maybe it should be a separate addition.
Anyway, the belt graphics for earlier years could possibly be different to suit the era a bit more.

As I briefly mentioned, I do plan on having labels on the crates showing their cargo once I make 4x zoom sprites. Admittedly that won't work for 1x sprites, but adding color in an obvious way that doesn't interfere with company colors might be challenging. I'll look into this though

The company is determined by the color of the upper part, so at least for quantum crates the color of the frame or transparent windows could determine the load. Through these windows it could be shown how much load there is.. By the way, this transparency of entire crates looks interesting, but somehow I am not quite convinced. It suits quantum, plastic or partially glass cases, but not so much for wooden or steel ones. Maybe it would be better to leave them open when they have no load? I am not convinced myself, so treat these remarks only as thinking aloud.

Yeah, unfortunately roads are always "public". Would possibly be an interesting NRT feature if roads could be marked as private as long as the company that built them is still around, though I'm not sure what usefulness that might have outside of this specific case

The division into private and public roads would definitely have uses than just here. In general, this division would be mainly useful in multiplayer games, but also with AI, where sharing roads can sometimes be quite tedious. Public roads would not generate costs, but they would not be anyone's property (maybe cities). Private routes would be optionally unavailable to all or selected players, or the use of them would be chargeable. Thanks to this function players would earn on it which would also be interesting. This option would also be useful for AI road builders.

- This is how one-way roads might look, as long as it is possible to add separate graphics for this "signs" on slopes.

I really like that idea Unfortunately it won't work, since the one-way graphics are only one sprite and simply get overlaid on top of any roadway I'm not sure there's any good solution to this sadly.

It would probably require changes in the game so that you can add separate graphics for different roads, including separate graphics for hills. This option would also be useful for dirt roads, where the arrows painted on sand look weak.
As for the solution for today, I was also thinking about the graphic depicting the metal detector gate and I think that something like this could be added as an option for those players who will not use other roads or who will not be disturbed by such graphics on ordinary roads.

Belt maintenance costs are not correctly assigned in the costs window

Hmm, what do you mean here? (perhaps a screenshot?)

[+] Spoiler

Conveyor Belts - maintain costs.png (71.72 KiB) Viewed 16172 times

IMO the yellow belt is the best looking one, it would be worth the effort to apply that effect to the others.

Referring to the texturing I'm assuming? I definitely agree, though that one still needs a little touchup too How about the animation cycle itself? The more "jerky" movement than the other two is not too off-putting? (I'm curious how anyone feels about this)

In my opinion, this smoother animation looks better. Maybe combining the yellow belt style with the animation of the others would be better?

[+] Spoiler

Conveyor Belts - yellow animation.png (136.79 KiB) Viewed 16172 times

Alternatively, you could add more animation steps to make the yellow arrow move less sharp.

[GarryG]

Great idea .. crating a lot of fun in the game .

[kamnet]

I know this would be more work, but I'd love to see alternative graphics which scale these down to conventional-looking conveyor belts which match the scale of OpenTTD buildings. These would look awesome for very short-haul trips such as mines or factories where you want the eyecandy impression of a working conveyor transferring cargo from one area to another.

[wallyweb]

You haven't visited Denver International Airport recently, have you? I think they tried this back in the early 1990s with some interesting results.

[Gadg8eer]

Okay, I'm glad this is here. I don't regret coming back to this forum after nearly getting myself run over by a truck. Nice work.

[Andrew350]

So give more power, more torque, just more of everything.

I wish I could, but I've already maxed everything out 2550hp just isn't enough for 45 tons apparently. Also toyed with the idea of 'specialty' crates as you suggested, but I would need to plan out a more complicated set of vehicles to make that work I think (to give everything purpose).

Hmm... I would be in favor of adding such extended settings for speeds parameters of Ratt roads. There it would be useful, but here such accuracy is unlikely to be needed. You could add a more general setting with an equally "silly" question.

What do you know about crates?:
A. It's an aliens work! - they are always available
B. It's must be some secret government project! - they are available earlier than it would appear from the technology used and historical facts (1800? 1850?, 1950?)
C. Are they made of wood? - they are available in the years in which they actually or could be introduced (1892, 1920? 2030?)

In my opinion, such a thing is enough and will not complicate the choice too much. By the way, this last setting could also take into account major changes in the graphics of the conveyors themselves by matching the set to the games closer to reality, but ... maybe it should be a separate addition.
Anyway, the belt graphics for earlier years could possibly be different to suit the era a bit more.

I could do dates that way, though I'm almost certain I will get the same complaints of "not-enough-customization" as with RattRoads As for different belt graphics, that might be a good idea if I plan on making them era-specific, just have to find a design that still "moves" without looking too futuristic. We'll see how ambitious I get about it

It would probably require changes in the game so that you can add separate graphics for different roads, including separate graphics for hills. This option would also be useful for dirt roads, where the arrows painted on sand look weak.
As for the solution for today, I was also thinking about the graphic depicting the metal detector gate and I think that something like this could be added as an option for those players who will not use other roads or who will not be disturbed by such graphics on ordinary roads.

Yes, changes to the game would be necessary, but it would be a big help in customizing certain roadways, like as you say in the case of dirt roads. I'm not holding my breath on this happening anytime soon though, I don't think many people want to touch NRT stuff for a while

Making custom graphics for this would be interesting, I just don't know if it's worth the effort right now.

Belt maintenance costs are not correctly assigned in the costs window

Hmm, what do you mean here? (perhaps a screenshot?)

<snip screenshot>

Oh right, forgot about that That was actually an issue in OpenTTD which I reported last week, and has already been fixed in the latest nightlies

In my opinion, this smoother animation looks better. Maybe combining the yellow belt style with the animation of the others would be better?

Alternatively, you could add more animation steps to make the yellow arrow move less sharp.

Unfortunately I can't do anything to make the animations smoother, those are hardcoded into OpenTTD. I do plan on making the slow and lightning belts look better by giving them some texture though, which will help those two at least. Just not sure if the yellow belt is worth continuing with due to the choppy animation

I know this would be more work, but I'd love to see alternative graphics which scale these down to conventional-looking conveyor belts which match the scale of OpenTTD buildings. These would look awesome for very short-haul trips such as mines or factories where you want the eyecandy impression of a working conveyor transferring cargo from one area to another.

That would look quite cool as eyecandy Making that work as an actual mode of transport with usable capacities and distinguishable "vehicles" might be tricky, but maybe worth it if someone spent the time to do it. Certainly some more realistic looking belts would be welcome

You haven't visited Denver International Airport recently, have you? I think they tried this back in the early 1990s with some interesting results.

Lol, no, though I guess it does kinda remind me of a baggage carousel

Okay, I'm glad this is here. I don't regret coming back to this forum after nearly getting myself run over by a truck. Nice work.

Glad to see you're still with us

[Gadg8eer]

Okay, I'm glad this is here. I don't regret coming back to this forum after nearly getting myself run over by a truck. Nice work.

Glad to see you're still with us

Thank you.

Have you considered using intermodal shipping containers with a faster loading speed as "vehicles" for your conveyor belts?

[Andrew350]

Not really, no. Basically what you see now with the crates is as far as I got with the concept of vehicles, just a silly solution for carrying lots of stuff small distances I'm sure there's a lot more that could be done for variety and realism, but things like 'reality' and 'seriousness' were never particularly high on the agenda to start with

[gravelpit]

What the hell is that s*** ,why man you ruine my best game ,you create so many good things ,this s*** you can launch to toyland f.e. ?

[Quast65]

The first hater... This stuff must really be good!

[kamnet]

The first hater... This stuff must really be good!

I think it was supposed to be a bawdy complement. I think?